Simon released the press statement two days after the barbeque party. A simple statement.

"We would like to announce that Obstruction is coming out of hibernation. We have missed our fans, touring and making music and will be returning with a new album very shortly," was the complete statement along with an invitation for select journalists to attend a press conference on the first Friday.

Suddenly my phone was ringing non stop. Feeling stressed out and annoyed, I went into the basement studio to find my three bandmates compiling a shortlist and testing new material for the new release.

"Seriously, Simon!" I huffed.

"What?" He asked.

"AFTER the opening of the exhibition!" I said.

"Yeah? We'll record once you have time," He shrugged.

"I'm trying to finish my stuff, but my phone keeps ringing and I can't focus!" I said and threw my phone in his direction.

"What do you expect me to do?" Simon asked.

"Well... you could have waited.... But as it's out there, you can answer my phone," I said and turned to go back up to finish my last painting.

After the barbecue I'd had an idea for a final painting of an anatomical heart painted to look like a ball of musical notes and barbed wire entwined. I had about four days to finish it before the curator went crazy.

"What's your unlock code?" Simon asked.

"What do you need that for? You're answering it, not tweeting," I asked.

"I might want to check your e-mails," Simon said with a cheeky grin.

"No you don't!" I huffed.

"But you still type your lyrics ideas into your phone right?" Ethan asked.

I nodded.

"So?" Simon asked.

"You still write the best lyrics, Izzy!" Ethan muttered.

I looked at my husband, who was still living in Oddball's granny-flat above the garage. We hadn't spoken since the barbecue and my life was still in limbo. If neither wanted a divorce, and his heart was breaking as bad as mine....

I didn't know the next step to take.

"Fine! It's still the same as it was," I said towards Ethan, who knew most of my passwords, my codes and where I hid the key to the jewellery box.

"Thanks," he said quietly and snatched the phone from Simon.

There was a moment of uncertainty. Did I trust him more than Simon with my inner thoughts? A few months earlier this wouldn't have been an issue. It would have been Ethan all the way. But I wasn't sure I wanted my husband to read my most recent ideas.

I saw him scroll through my apps to find my journal. It was stored locally as I didn't trust my google docs to not be hacked.

"We can use this!" Ethan smiled as he read my more recent lyrics.

I retreated as Ethan read out some of my lines, oblivious to the fact they were about him.

I was immersed in my paints again when I noticed Oddball leaning on the doorframe into my studio.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to disturb you. Just wanted to see what you were doing," he said.

"It's okay. I can deal with company. It's just that stupid phone constantly ringing!" I replied.

"Set it to silent?" Oddball suggested.

"No... Cos I promised I'd pick Aya up if she needs me," I replied.

Ayame had gone back with me after the barbecue party, saying she had plans with her best friend.

"Where is she?" Odd asked.

"She said... she'd be with Helen, but by the sound of her on the phone it was probably a date," I chuckled.

"Aya is dating? Who? Do we know anything about the guy?" Odd asked looking panicked.

"I know nothing apart from the fact that she's been crushing on someone and by the sound of her squeals on the phone with Helen a couple of days ago, she's out with him now," I said.

Oddball looked at my artwork. My studio was picked bare. Most of my stuff was at the gallery, ready to be displayed. What was left were the rejects and sketches in addition to the last painting I was working on.

"You know... Those lyrics.. There is a man downstairs trying not to take a hint," Odd grinned.

I shrugged.

"They are pretty good, but also pretty direct," he said.

"I needed to process the last year somehow," I shrugged, trying to not give in to the hollow feeling inside.

Oddball studied me for a while.

"You are both so damned stubborn!" He chuckled and left my studio.

I heard his footsteps down the stairs and drew a deep, shaky breath.

I was washing my brushes out when I heard a car pull up. I glanced through the gap in the kitchen curtains to see Ayame step out of the passenger side of a silver car of a not so new model. From the driver's side stood a tall, blond boy. He walked over to her side of the car and lay a hand on her waist. Quickly before I could see my daughter being kissed I turned and went downstairs.

"What's with the grin?" Simon asked.

I hadn't even realised I was smiling.

"Aya just returned from her date," I said.

Ethan's head snapped up.

"What date?" He asked at the same time as Oddball jumped up and took the stairs two steps at the time to go spy.

Before I could stop them the other two had ran after him.

I found the three of them by the kitchen window trying to peek out without being obvious about it.

"Seriously?" I asked.

All three suddenly stood up and walked around the kitchen trying to look casual as the front door opened.

"Mum!" Aya called from the hallway.

"Yeah?" I replied and sent the three guys a warning look as I stepped into the hallway.

"Errm... This is Matt... We were gonna watch a movie... in my room," she said on a half question as if it had been agreed on but she wanted my approval.

"Something wrong with the TV in the lounge?" Ethan asked as he emerged from the doorway behind me.

"Oh... Hey Dad," Aya squirmed.

"Leave your door open!" I said, ignoring Ethan's protests.

Behind Ayame was the tall boy I'd seen step out of the car. He'd obviously made an effort in dark jeans, a button down shirt and a leather jacket. His hair was gelled into an artfully spiky look and he was wearing leather bracelets similar to those Oddball wore in most public settings. His face was masculine with a strong jaw and bright brown eyes looking at us from under his blonde hair.

He was stood slack jawed staring at Ethan and me.

I reached a hand out to him.

"Hey. I'm Izzy, Aya's Mum," I introduced myself.

"I'm... I'm Matt..." The boy stuttered and looked between me and Ethan.

Ayame looked at him with a cringe.

"Told you it would be weird," she said to him.

He stared at her.

"I thought you meant normal parents weird... Not your parents are in Obstruction- weird!" he said.

"Does it change anything?" She asked him and apparently brought him back to earth. He looked at her with a grin.

"I should have known when Helen said not to wear my Obstruction t-shirt or play their music..." he chuckled.

She looked at him with a confused look.

"I mean... how many girls called Ayame Ryder can there be? Even if you do insist on being Amy to everyone except for Helen," he grinned.

He looked at Ethan again before looking at me with a wide smile.

"Dude... I heard you guys are back on!" Matt said.

I looked at Ethan suspiciously.

He shrugged back.

"Seriously tho? A new tour and stuff?" Matt continued.

"Yeah! Writing the new tunes as we speak," Simon commented as he stolled casually into the hallway from the kitchen, closely followed by an apple-munching Oddball.

"Seriously?!?" Aya sighed quietly and facepalmed.

We looked at her.

"You all had to fucking be here? All four of you? Now?" She asked, looking at the four of us in embarrassment.

"And she swears like her mama!" Simon laughed and walked along the hallway towards the stairs, his ponytail swinging down his back.

"What are you going up there for?" I asked.

"Nico's acoustic bass is in Seb's room," Simon shrugged as if to explain his very made up excuse to take a closer look at Matt.

The basement was fully stocked with all the instruments we'd ever need.

"Yeah... Mind you don't trip over the new continent of discarded clothes," I shouted after him.

"Anyway... Nice to meet you. I'll let you go watch your movie," I continued directed at Matt and Aya before I returned to the kitchen in an attempt at being a normal mum. Matt looked like a fish out of water with the four of us in the same house as him.

"And... open door!" Ethan called after them as Ayame led the way up the stairs.

As I returned to cleaning my paintbrushes, Ethan stayed resting his bottom on the counter next to me.

For a long time we were stood there in silence. The pressure was on to say something, to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and get it out there.

"We never did that bit," I said, nodding towards upstairs without looking at him.

"What? The whole awkward first date thing?" he asked.

"Yeah... We kinda skipped the whole getting to know each other, dating thing," I said, shaking the water from my brushes before setting them in a jar to dry.

"You just went straight from not talking to fucking like bunnies," Oddball grinned from the kitchen table where he was sat still munching on his apple. I wasn't even aware that he'd been there.

We both looked at him in surprise.

"Well... It's true! You were always with Simon or me, never just the two of you. And then suddenly you were all loved up and attached at the lip," Oddball said a bit more seriously.

We both looked at him, Ethan looking as mystified as I felt.

"OK. I'll go," Odd chuckled, mumbling about how we were incapable of doing anything without him as he went downstairs. A moment later we heard his usual warm-up rhythm on the drums.

I turned slowly to see Ethan with a small smile on his face.

"OK. Wanna try a new start?" he asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Let's pretend the last twenty years didn't happen. We're in Obstruction and all that jazz, but imagine we never got together," he smiled.

"But... The kids?" I asked.

He sighed scratching his chin.

"It would be cruel to imagine they never happened, so let's say they are the result of us getting drunk..." He grinned.

"Nah-ha... My kids are not the result of a random one night stand with some jaded playboy rocker!" I said, smiling back into the playful glint in his eyes.

"Okay... We both wanted kids, so we had them...Minor detail. Point being the whole relationship and marriage never happened," He said, smiling even wider at me for playing along with him.

"Okay? So a friends with benefits arrangement?" I asked wondering what he had in mind.

He laughed and shook his head.

"No! That would complicate things massively," He grinned.

"Okay. Ignoring the kids for the moment," I said with a nod.

He nodded back and thought for a moment. I'd always loved his deep-thought face where he'd usually end up looking like a small child solving a jigsaw puzzle. He grinned widely and looked at me again.

"So. Basically...We've been in the same band for twenty years, and probably been attracted to each other for all that time," He mused.

I frowned.

"Or... we've just been friends this whole time. No attraction," I said, suspecting what he was planning.

"Yep. Even better. We've been good friends all this time," he agreed.

"But?" I asked.

"But I've realised I want out of the friend-zone," he said.

I nodded.

"So... Now I'm asking.... Izzy, would you go on a date with me?" Ethan asked.

The butterflies in my gut took flight as my eyes widened. The smile on his face had my heart bouncing around. I was imagining the scenario we had just drawn up and felt my face settle into a little smirk.

"A date, Ethan? Won't that be a bit weird, ruin our friendship and stuff?" I asked.

"I thought you might say that, but I want to see if friendship is all there is," He smirked back, staying with the drawn up scenario.

"Okay, could be fun," I said trying a nonchalant shrug, but feeling my smile giving me away.

"You free on Friday?" he asked.

"After Simon's press conference, yup," I nodded.

"Oh.. shit.. Forgot about that... Saturday?" Ethan asked.

I studied him carefully.

"You're actually serious about this?" I asked, seeing the excited little twitch of his mouth.

"Yeah. I'm serious. I want us to start over. Properly. With a date. Dinner, movies, walk in the park," He said looking very shy and insecure. He reminded me of how he'd been the first time I met him.

"Saturday," I nodded and received a relieved, beaming smile back.

"Good! I'll pick you up at seven," He smiled.

"For a date," I said and shook my head in disbelief.

That small flutter of happiness I'd felt stirring at the barbecue was stretching itself and waking up.

I lifted my eyes to see straight into a grey pair belonging to the man who'd just taken a silent step towards me and was stood a few inches from me with a big smile and a happy look in his eyes.

"Thank you Izzy! You won't regret it," He said quietly before he went to the basement stairs and disappeared.

Before I could wipe the smile from my face, a disgruntled Ayame entered the kitchen.

"Mum! Make Uncle Simon leave? Please?" She whined.

"What is he doing?" I asked and followed her upstairs.

"He's Obstruction-geeking with Matt," She muttered.

"You shouldn't have found an Obstruction fan then," I commented.

"I didn't know he was!" she complained.

I reached the door to her bedroom and saw Simon sat in Aya's desk chair with Matt looking at him in awe.

"Simon!" I said and nodded for him to follow me.

"What? I was just telling Matt that the best way to get the bass to sound like a heartbeat is by using the little finger," He drawled lazily.

"Seriously?" I asked as he stood and walked to me with a grin.

"Nice to meet you. Now behave!" Simon told Matt and followed me down the stairs.

"Nice kid," he said.

"You invaded their date you knucklehead!" I chuckled.

"I know! Had to quality check the guy. She can't be seen with just anybody. At least this one has decent taste in music. His dad took him to a gig when he was seven and he's been a fan ever since," Simon smirked and disappeared down into the basement.

I shook my head and got the chicken from the fridge out for dinner, trying to calculate if I had enough for all the people currently in my house. There was laughter from the basement so I walked down to check on them.

"Thanks man... Aya is safe," Ethan laughed at Simon as I emerged. His eyes shifted to me and his face melted into a happy smile, before he caught himself.

"Simon just disrupted Aya's date," He chuckled.

"I know... and she won't forgive you for it," I pointed at Simon.

There was a wide grin on Oddball's face as he took in my smile and laughter. Without hesitation he came over to me and gave me a hug.

"She's our sensible girl," Odd grinned, giving me the impression he wasn't referring to Aya.

"Okay... How many for dinner?" I asked, trying to get what I came for.

"No can do... We promised Hale, Nico and Seb some junk food," Simon said.

The other two nodded in mock sadness.

"Such a sacrifice we make for our children. Greasy burgers and deep-fried empty calories," Oddball sighed heavily.

"Bad fathers, I tell 'ya!" I smirked back.

"Which means we probably should go before the three terrors dig up the garden at my place," Simon said casting a glance at the time.

As Ethan passed me on his way to the stairs he stopped for a second to hand me back my phone.

"I'll see you on Saturday," He smiled, making my knees feel weak from the sparkle in his eyes.

"Saturday? We're back here tomorrow you idiot!" Simon huffed ahead of him.

"Oh yeah... so we are," Ethan smiled, still looking at me.

***

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Teaser:
The next chapter is a flashback of how Oddball fell in love with two orphans!